Someone asked Japanese Master Dogen (Chinese: Daoyuan) who just learned Chan (Zen) from China and returned to Japan, “Master, what have you learned from Chan Buddhism in China?”

 

Master said, “Nothing special, just a soft heart.”

 

A soft heart is the spirit of forbearance. A Chan practitioner must have a soft heart. In people’s heart, there is a hard stuff which is arrogance. One’s arrogance seems the greatest thing if it is stimulated by something. However, from the perspective of Chan, we must practice the soft heart which is the only door of reaching the right path. From the perspective of learning knowledge, a soft heart is the spirit of modesty, compassion and study.